Still time to join Relay for Life

On Friday and Saturday each of us will have a chance to strike a blow against cancer by participating in the Relay for Life.

The Jefferson County Relay has been held at Cub Field at Madison Consolidated High School, since 1997. The event begins at 6 p.m. Friday and continues non-stop for 24 hours.

Trimble County is also hosting Relay this Friday starting at 7 p.m. at Bedford Elementary School. Call (502) 221-5477 or visit www.facebook.com/rfltrimblecounty for information.

The Switzerland County Relay will be held June 27 at Paul Ogle Riverfront Park with a survivors' dinner at 6 p.m., followed by the walk at 7 p.m. For more information call (812) 534-3002.

The local relays raise thousands of dollars annually. The first year, local walkers took in about $18,000.

Volunteers have been busy. Close to $20,000 has been raised in Jefferson County - before the first lap has been taken around the track.

Teams of walkers are collecting pledges, and anyone who would like to offer moral support by walking around the track as many times as they wish is welcome to participate.

Your contribution to the fight against cancer is always welcome and worthwhile. The relay is held rain or shine. Walkers moving briskly around the track under the shelter of umbrellas is not unprecedented.

Relay for Life was the idea of a surgeon in Washington, D.C., who was a fitness buff. He decided that organizing such a walk would be a good way to finance research against the illness that was the cause of many of the operations he performed. That doctor did well, walking 81 miles and raising $27,000 for cancer research.

The relay is dedicated to those who have died from the disease, as well as a salute to those who have survived cancer, and who often make up a significant number of the walkers.

Relay for Life is run by volunteers. Every cent raised goes to finance more cancer research.

Researchers have made progress on finding a cure - but it takes money. You can help raise those funds by taking part in the Relay for Life.